Consumers use remote controls for controlling a variety of devices such as TVs (televisions), radios, VCRs (video cassette recorders), and other home appliances. Typically, the remote controls use IR (infrared) communications to send signals to the devices to be controlled. IR communications operate effectively only within a limited range, but nonetheless IR remote controls provide a great benefit for consumers because they allow consumers to control the desired devices from a couch, a chair, a bed, a desk, or some other relaxing remote location without having to manually adjust the controls on the device being controlled.
A particular manufacturer will establish a proprietary IR protocol (i.e., sequence of IR commands that a device will recognize) for a particular device or series of devices, and will typically provide a proprietary remote control with the necessary IR commands already loaded into its memory to allow the consumer to control the device or devices. Protocols from one manufacturer may and usually do differ from protocols of other manufacturers for similar devices.
Many types of remote controls exist, each with their own features, and each with their own limitations. For example, the most basic remote controls are dedicated to a single device made by a single manufacturer. These remote controls usually are fairly simple to operate, and are not programmable. For the same reason, however, they have limited functionality. Furthermore, once a consumer attains many devices from various manufacturers as is extremely common, managing the multitude of various remote controls for the various devices becomes very burdensome both physically and mentally.
One attempt to solve the problems associated with remote controls dedicated to a single device led to what is commonly known as "universal" remote controls. With universal remote controls, the IR protocols for various devices are typically pre-loaded into the remote control's memory. Even so, the consumer might have to use a trial-and-error basis to determine which protocol to use for a particular device. And it is possible that the proper protocol for the device to be controlled was not pre-loaded by the manufacturer of the remote control, because the device was too old, too new, or simply not popular enough as determined by the manufacturer of the remote control. In any of those cases, the consumer would typically be required to have the protocol loaded by a professional at a service location, or may even be required to send the remote control to the manufacturer of the remote control, and even then it may be difficult for the third party to correctly ascertain and load the proper protocol.
Some universal remotes are "programmable" to allow specific IR command sequences to be associated with specific physical buttons, but the remote control does not help the consumer associate the physical buttons with the actual function performed by the buttons, and the consumer is thus forced to memorize the function each button is programmed for each time the remote control is re-programmed. Custom-made labels could be used to associate the buttons with their functions, but that creates an additional problem of tying a button to a single function, thus limiting the remote control's functionality. Creating more buttons could solve that problem, but in turn would result in a consumer-unfriendly device due to its complexity.
Another type of universal remote control has the additional feature of allowing the consumer to load the IR protocols into the universal remote's memory by modem line or PC (personal computer). The "Program Master" by Scottsdale Technologies is of this type. The "Program Master" may be "programmed" by the consumer using companion PC software to select the desired information (e.g., TV programs to be taped) and then initiating the downloading of the information into the "Program Master" by pressing a button (the only button) on the "Program Master." The internal clock of the "Program Master" causes the remote control to send appropriate IR command sequences to the consumer's VCR, TV, and cable receiver at the desired times. But once the "Program Master" is programmed, there is no way to modify the settings except by re-programming it using the companion PC software.
Other universal remotes, such as the Marantz RC2000, have a display so the buttons could be programmed to allow greater functionality, and each button may correspond to several different functions depending on the "mode" setting of the remote. A description of each function associated with each programmed button for a given mode may appear on the display next to the button, but display space is typically limited. The Marantz RC2000, for example, has space for only five characters per button. Another remote control, the Lexicon 500T, overcomes this problem to some extent, because it has the additional feature of a touch screen and graphical display 256 pixels by 128 pixels so the consumer may control the size and layout of the graphical buttons to some degree. However, the Lexicon 500T retails for several thousand dollars, and is very limited in its use of internet data. For example, though the Lexicon 500T is capable of accessing IR protocols from the internet and downloading them into its memory, with companion PC software mapping the specified IR command sequences to the specified areas on the display screen, it cannot, like the "Program Master" described previously, make automated use of internet data such as desired TV programs to be taped.
Some remote controls obtain more functionality and more power by communicating with the controlled devices through a proprietary base station. The base station is generally located at the site of the devices to be controlled, and the base station, not the remote controls, actually control the devices. The remote controls communicate solely with the base stations. The base stations in turn interact with the devices to be controlled through a variety of protocols such as X10 (power line communications), CEBus (common for communication over a home local area network), and RS232 (IEEE serial communication via a communication port in a PC). Examples of these types of remotes are the "RHOC" by Full House Control Corp., and the "IntelliControl" home automation system by Niles Audio Corp. These systems are fairly powerful, in that once the base stations are programmed, they can typically recognize a variety of industry standard protocols, so consumers could use the remotes to operate various devices made by various manufacturers. However, the base stations are costly, and installation and programming of the base stations are fairly complex and usually require a trained professional. Furthermore, the remote controls are limited in their ability to provide information back to the consumer, due to limited or total lack of display. The "RHOC," for example, though equipped with some programmable physical buttons, has a limited display of 128.times.64 pixels. The Intellicontrol, available in both a hand-held and table-top version, has no display at all, though the base stations associated therewith may have a two-character LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and/or several LEDs (light-emitting diodes).
Another common type of remote control is that which is linked to a primary display such as a TV display. Remote controls used to operate Web TV fit into this category. Though they allow a consumer to exercise parental control, monitor E-mail, place internet bookmarks, view web content related to real time TV events, and perform other web-related tasks, they affect the TV viewing screen in the process, thus limiting use of the screen for viewing regular TV-based content. Another example is Sony's S-Link control bus system which allows use of the TV display in conjunction with the automated control of home appliances, such as Sony CD players and Sony TVs. All of these systems, however, affect the TV viewing screen because control information is displayed on the screen, thus impacting the overall view of the display. And some of the systems (e.g., Sony's S-link control bus system) are further limited because they are compatible only with proprietary devices.
It is also possible to use the IR communications capability of palm-top PCs to control consumer appliances. However, palm-top PCs are relatively costly for this type of application, since they are manufactured and intended to be used as general purpose computers. For that reason, they also require knowledge and use of PC operating system software such as MS-DOS, Windows, or other operating systems. Moreover, because the hardware is designed primarily for computer data transfer, the physical range of IR commands from palm-tops is limited, and the reliability of the execution of the commands themselves also drops as the distance between the remote control and the device being controlled increases.
Thus, though there are many variations of remote controls available for controlling consumer devices, each has some drawbacks. It would be desirable to automate control of various consumer appliances made by various manufactures, using a single, low-cost, consumer-friendly, programmable remote control that does not interfere with the primary viewing screen, and that is capable of interacting with the internet or other data sources to provide a rich set of functionality.